Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo with WGA Captain and AD52 constituent, Jen Vestuto.
LOS ANGELES, CA - On Wednesday, July 19th, 2023, Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) joined SAG-AFTRA and the WGA West at the strike line in support of workers and negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The strike is the first time since 1980 that actors have gone to the picket line and the first time since 1960 that SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have joined forces in a labor dispute.
“I’m proud to join many of our constituents who are members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild at the strike line in support of working wages, sufficient funding for their health and pension plans, protections related to image rights and artificial intelligence and ensuring that these good union jobs stay in Los Angeles,” said Assemblywoman Carrillo. “As the entertainment industry evolves to provide new avenues for content creation and consumption, we must ensure that the creatives behind the production are properly compensated. We live in an era where entertainment is enjoyed on various platforms, TV, streaming services, apps, all of which generate profit, but whose profit may not transfer in the form of residuals to the creatives behind it. That is an issue that needs to be addressed.”
“SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry.” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity.”
SAG-AFTRA is the latest union to go on strike alongside the WGA, UNITE HERE LOCAL 11 and may potentially be joined by Teamsters locals, including Teamsters Local 399, who represent workers in the motion picture industry if final negotiations are not reached.
Assemblywoman Carrillo who serves as a Commissioner on the California Film Commission, has been a longtime advocate for improving working conditions in the entertainment industry and is a key leader in state budget negotiations. Most recently, she was instrumental in securing the California Film and TV Tax Credit 4.0 program at the tune of $330 Million annually for the next five years which now creates pathways for diversity, set-safety supervision and refundability. The program is critical to our state economy, is an important piece to stopping runaway productions, and ensures California continues to be competitive as other states announce production tax incentives.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo was elected to the California State Assembly in December 2017. She represents the 52nd District of California, encompassing East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, and parts of Glendale. She has served as the Chair of Budget Sub-Committee #4 on State Administration, and a member of the Appropriations, Health, Housing and Community Development, and Utilities and Energy Committees, as well as Chair of the Select Committee on Latina Inequities.
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